site.btaNews Agencies from Around the World Hold Congress in Sofia to Discuss Future of Newsmaking

106 - POLITICS - NEWS AGENCIES - CONGRESS - OPENING amplified

News Agencies from Around the World
Hold Congress in Sofia to Discuss
Future of Newsmaking


Sofia, June 13 (BTA) - News agencies from around the world are meeting in Sofia Thursday for their sixth congress to discuss the future of news-making.  In his opening remarks, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said that the Congress offers a chance to discuss the going trends, challenges and opportunities for news agencies.

He said that the motto of the forum, The Future of News, is actually about the future of mankind. "Digitalization has already changed our perception of the world because information is in abundant supply but in reality it is the most scarce commodity," the President said.

The social media boom has destroyed the previously established algorithms for acquiring, collecting, processing, analyzing and disseminating information, said also the President adding that professional news agencies and media outlets face growing financial issues, which lead to political and economic dependence and the undermining of professional and ethical standards.

"Today the truth is often drowned in fake news as speed [of reporting] takes precedence over credibility. The destructive effect of information now has the potential to be more dangerous than bombs and missiles", warned Radev.

He went on to thank BTA for its hard work in organizing and hosting the forum. 

The Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Maxim Minchev, welcomed the participants to what he argued is the largest media event of the year in this country. He said that news journalism is one of the last bastions of real and double-checked news, and it needs sources of inspiration as much as it needs sources of financing.

Discussions during the forum will focus on fake news, artificial intelligence, the new models of ownership of news agencies and the new sources of information.

Participating in the congress between June 13 and 15 are over 200 delegates from 100 countries, including the heads of leading news agencies from the five continents, prominent journalists and figures from the social media.
 
The work in the panels of the Sixth Congress will be live-streamed on the websites of the congress
(https://www.nawc.bg/)  and the website of the Bulgarian News Agency (http://www.bta.bg/). MORE/